152 Scientific Notices — Chemistry. [Feb. 



lected, washed, and dried ; it weighed very nearly 232 grains,, 

 being the equivalent of bisulphuret of mercury. The filtered 

 liquor, on evaporation to dryness, left 54 grains, or 1 propor- 

 tional of muriate of ammonia. — (Journal of Science.) 



4. Boron, its Preparalioii, S,'c. 



The readiest method of obtaining boron without losing too 

 much potassium is to heat the potassium with tluo-borate of 

 potash.* Boron and silicium resemble each other in their pro- 

 perties, nearly as sulphur and silicium, or as phosphorus and 

 arsenic. I have produced sulphuret of boron, a white and pul- 

 verulent substance, which dissolves in water, yielding sulphur- 

 etted hydrogen gas. Boron burns in chlorine. The chloride of 

 boron is a permanent gas which is decomposed in moist air, 

 producing a dense vapour; and in water giving muriatic and 

 bovacic acids. It condenses one and a half time its volume of 

 amraoniacal gas. BerzeUus. Bib. Univ. — (Journal of Science.) 



5. Action of Alum on Vegetable Blue Colours. 



It is commonly stated in chemical works, that a solution of 

 alum has the property of reddening vegetable colours. With the 

 exception of litmus, where the effect is \e\-y decided, 9.n& of tinc- 

 ture of cabbage, where the effect is trijiing, a contrary effect is 

 experienced; the solution has turned the colours (which were 

 generally obtained from the blue petals of flowers) green. II. B. 

 Lekson. — (Journal of Science.) 



6. Preparation of Lithia. 



M. Berzelius says, that the naost economical way of preparing 

 lithia is to mix the triphane, or spodumene, in powder, with 

 twice its weight of pulverised fluor spar, and with sulphuric 

 acid ; then to heat the mixture until the fluoric acid with the 

 silica is volatihzed, and afterwards to separate the sulphate by 

 solution. Bib. Univ. — (Journal of Science.) 



7. On Sulpho-iodide of Antimony. By MM. Henry and Garot. 



When very dry iodine and sulphuret of antimony are mixed 

 in equal parts, and sublimed in dry vessels by the moderated 

 heat of a sand-bath, red vapours appear, which condense on the 

 upper and cooler parts of the vessels, whilst a greenish grey 

 mixture of protoxide of antimony with a little iodide and sul- 

 phuret remains. 



The condensed volatile substance appears in brilliant translu- 

 cid plates, resembling fern-leaves in form, of an intense poppy 

 red colour : if the vessels in which the sublimation has been 

 made are large, the crystals appear as prismatic prisms. When 

 heated, they readily fuse, and by careful management may be 



* See Preparation of Silicium, Annali, toI. viii. p. 122, New Series. 



